Breezepelt's Banishment
by Chasing The Black Rabbit
Summary: Rejected from their Clan, Breezepelt and his mother Nightcloud venture off into the unknown to find a new home. Breezepelt, of course, is hostile towards any cat that comes, and Nightcloud is as overprotective as ever. But there are things that she won't tell her son, things that will haunt them on their new quest...
1. Chapter 1

"Unspeakable...betrayed by our own warriors with the Dark Forest." The speaker shook his head in disbelief. "And to think, he was my friend!"  
He wasn't alone in the dark nighttime sky. Two cats were at his side, sharing his feelings as well. One-a she-cat-yawned and stretched, a popping sound coming from her back.  
"Harespring-how couldn't you see this coming? It was quite obvious that he was a traitor from the day he was born. So wrapped up securely in a web of lies and encouraged by the hatred of his own mother-" the she-cat flicked her tail dismissively "-it's no shock that he turns on the Clan!"  
"So you knew that he'd turn out this way, Gorsetail?" the other-also a she-cat-challenged.  
The other looked shocked.  
"Of course not! But when I saw him as a kit, I knew that he'd be nothing but trouble."  
"That's fox-ding! He was a sweet kit!"  
"But he took after his mother," Gorsetail replied. "Sheath your claws Heathertail. That tom was destined to do something terrible, and Hollyleaf's revelation only confirmed it. Rumors are going around that Breezepelt tried to murder Jayfeather and a pregnant queen!"  
"ThunderClan could be lying," Heathertail replied, sinking her claws into the earth.  
"ThunderClan are terrible liars," Harespring whispered softly. "They're sickeningly honest."  
"But I can't believe that Breezepelt would be so-"  
"Believe it Heathertail," mewed a voice. The cats turned to see a young black tom stalk over. His blue eyes flashed coldly. "Breezepelt hates his half-siblings, do you know that? I'm not surprised that he would try to do something like that."  
"Crouchpaw, stay out of this," Haresprng snapped. "This doesn't concern you at all."  
"It does too!" Crouchpaw growled, licking furiously at a red welt on his shoulder. "His mother-my _mentor_-was the one who made him a traitor! I think she was on the Dark Forest's side too."  
"Onestar will deal with it tonight anyways," Gorsetail mewed.  
Heathertail hesitantly asked, "Will they be exiled?"  
"Of course they will! It only makes since."  
"Maybe they can prove themselves-"  
"How?" Gorsetail's eyes flashed with challenge. "The word has already spread that Breezepelt was on the Dark Forest's side. All of the cats who betrayed the Clans are going to be exiled, so it's no doubt that the same will happen to Breezepelt and his mother. They can try as hard as they want to change Onestar's mind, but WindClan will never forget the day they tried to destroy us."  
"Agreed!" Crouchpaw mewed excitedly, happy to find him talking to mature cats and not the silly apprentices he had always conversed with.  
But Harespring turned on him again.  
"I said stay out of this! Go back to the apprentice den like I told you."  
The apprentice's face fell and he scowled angrily. But he quickly turned away and stomped off.  
Heathertail watched him go.  
"You didn't have to be so mean to him," she whispered. Harespring rolled his eyes.  
"He's a nuisance. When he grows up a bit more, I'll include him in our conversations."  
"I think we're going to end it now," mewed Gorsetail. The pale gray tabby nodded at a light brown tom heading towards a large rock. "Onestar's getting ready to announce his decision."  
The WindClan leader climbed onto the boulder. He was covered in terrible wounds from a previous battle. His yellow eyes were hollow and cold.  
"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey," he yowled, "join us underneath Tallrock."  
"This is it!" Gorsetail hissed. Slowly, WindClan cats began to slink from their dens. Many bore the wounds of battle, just like Onestar. One was even missing an eye. They all gathered before Tallrock, waiting for their leader's decision. Onestar stared at his followers before speaking.  
"Cats of WindClan," he began, "We all know why we are here tonight. The Dark Forest fought us and lost to us, and we prevailed because we are too close to StarClan for them to touch."  
Appreciative yowls answered him.  
"But!" The tabby lashed his tail in anger. "But! But there were two cats that were not close to StarClan!"  
Hisses rang out into the air. Crouchpaw's voice rang out from the small group of apprentices.  
"It was Breezepelt and Nightcloud!"  
"That is right!" Onestar turned his head to nod curtly at the apprentice. "How could have I been so _blind_? And in front of the other Clan leaders as well? What do they think about us now? 'WindClan is so blind that they can't tell the loyalty of their own Clanmates!'"  
The Clan growled in agreement. An elder clawed at the ground.  
"Tawnyfur died fighting in that battle," the elder whispered. He stared out towards his right, where a small heap of dead bodies lay. Among them was the golden-brown coat of a she-cat.  
Onestar's gaze softened.  
"She was a great warrior, Tornear."  
The gray tom bowed his head, sobbing loudly.  
Onestar returned to his audience.  
"Where are they?"  
"Over in the badger den." Harespring mewed.  
"Bring them here."  
He and Heathertail disappeared. Heartbeats later, a caterwaul came from the distance. Cats fluffed up and moved out of the way, hissing, as the two warriors returned, dragging two black cats with them. One of them was a she-cat, her amber eyes wide with horror. Her companion resembled her, except there was no fear in his eyes, only hatred.  
"Breezepelt!" The tom's head snapped violently towards the cat who had said his voice. A dark gray tom was staring at him. Breezepelt's lip curled up into a snarl. He received a rough blow on the head from a gray tom, causing pain to explode in his head. Blood dripped down his face. To his shock, he realized that the abuser's claws had be unsheathed. Cats shrieked their support as the tom raised his paw again, and smacked Breezepelt again. His legs buckled, and he fell on his belly.  
"Eagleheart, that's enough!" The blue-eyed tom snarled, shoving his muzzle into the attacker.  
"Why Crowfeather?" Eagleheart sneered, pressing up against him. "Are you finally feeling loyalty to your son?"  
"Crowfeather! Eagleheart! Stop this at once!" Onestar snarled. "Bring the traitors over immediately!"  
Heathertail and Harespring shoved them before Tallrock, where all of the cats could see. The she-cat slithered behind Breezepelt, who tried to shield her with his body. He whispered softly in her ear.  
"I won't let them hurt you Nightcloud."  
"I should have known," Onestar growled, glaring down at her. She flinched. "I should have known that you would betray me again. It was quite obvious when you participated in that rebellion against me with Mudclaw!"  
"I did nothing wrong!" she wailed.  
"You did many things wrong." he replied. "You attacked your leader. And your kits...you only let one live."  
Breezepelt narrowed his eyes.  
"What's he talking about, Nightcloud?" he demanded, looking at his mother. Nightcloud shrugged, not meeting his gaze.  
"It's obvious on what she did!" Onestar yowled. "Breezepelt, has no one ever told you about your birth, and the deaths surrounding it?"  
"Deaths?" Breezepelt echoed. "Nigthtcloud...I don't-"  
"Onestar." Crowfeather stepped in. "Isn't there any way we could give them another chance-"  
Disapproving yowls drowned him out. The WindClan leader rocked on his paws.  
"No, there isn't." He turned his head away. "In fact, we've wasted enough time on these pieces of foxdung. May StarClan approve of my decision. From here on out, until I die or retire as leader, you both shall be sentenced to exile. No Clan cat shall take you in, and if any WindClan warrior spots you, they have my permission to kill you."  
"You will regret this, Onestar," Breezepelt snarled. "Someday, you will."  
"I doubt it." Onestar replied dryly. He nodded at Eagleheart. "Take them to the edge of the border, and turn them loose."  
Breezepelt spat angrily. He caught Harespring's eye.  
"The irony," he muttered, as Eagleheart shoved him off, "that one of my persecutors was my ally in the Dark Forest."

* * *

"I should have done something."  
"It was bound to happen, Tallstar. It was his destiny to leave the Clans."  
Tallstar lifted his grayed head solemnly, looking at the wiry brown she-cat. He had always dreamed to meet the cat who started WindClan in the first place. But he didn't want to meet her in these circumstances.  
"I could have eased it-somehow."  
"You couldn't." The she-cat mewed comfortingly. "It had to remain untouched-his life-to motivate his destiny."  
"But his destiny is unknown." Tallstar growled. "For all we know, he could be the next cat to threaten the Clans."  
"Or, he could be the next cat to save the Clans." The she-cat sighed and shook her head. "Fate is fate, Tallstar. Whatever happens, we must hope that he will walk in the right path."  
"You don't understand Wind!" The black-and-white tom growled. "He is _broken_, like a kit's plaything after being played with too roughly. We were so caught up on looking after the Four that we forgot all about him. The Dark Forest has shattered him. He might not ever recover!"  
Wind looked at him with sorrowful eyes.  
"I know," she whispered. "He is one of my closet descendants, and I ignored him. He might not ever recover. He might stay broken forever."


	2. Get up, Traitor

Breezepelt hated it when it rained-it made walking very hard to do. The water turned the peaty soil into nothing but mush, and the scents of the earth were jumbled up by the scent of water. Prey caught in rainy weather were cold and tasted stale, and they sat in Breezepelt's stomach like a rock. A horrible, cold, soggy rock. He hated the rain even more because it washed away his WindClan scent-the scent of home.  
Nightcloud however, enjoyed the fact that it did so.  
"The quicker we stop smelling like WindClan, the faster we can forget them," she told him when he objected about traveling in the rain. "The best thing for you now is to forget about WindClan altogether. We need to lead a new life."  
_I don't want to live a new life!_ Breezepelt shrieked inwardly. But he merely blinked at her and nodded dumbly as she led him out into the rain. And when he felt the scent of WindClan leave him, he felt his own self leave him as well.  
_Bit by bit.  
Pawstep by pawstep._  
He felt his previous self fail. He no longer heard nor felt his heartbeat. He felt a ball of ice forming inside him.  
The Dark Forest cats didn't visit his dreams anymore after the battle. It was as if they abandoned him. It was crazy! He was one of the few cats who stayed by their side! How could they be silent, like StarClan were when he cried out to them when he realized his own father didn't love him? Perhaps dead cats don't care for the living-if they finished serving their purpose, they were turned loose and coldly ignored. And if you didn't serve a purpose at all...you never even existed. Breezepelt was lost.  
And his small world revolved around his mother now. He supposed that was the one of the very few things that reminded him of his old self. Nightcloud was twice as possessive as before. She told him what to do. She dominated him. But unlike before, when he had been a warrior, Breezepelt now allowed her control over his life. He was too helpless to do things for himself. Half the time he didn't have the strength to even speak.  
_What's the point in doing anything? My purpose in life has been destroyed. There's no point to keep going..._  
Then he remembered that Nightcloud needed him as much as he needed her.  
_But what if she dies...? What will I do? And when I die...where will my spirit go?_  
And he began to despair at the thought of the afterlife.  
"Breezepelt, pick up your paws!" His ears twitched as his mother scolded him from up ahead. She walked tall, even though the rain was literally battering them both. Breezepelt closed his eyes and exhaled.  
"Yes Nightcloud. I'm moving." His tongue felt like lead, his words as slow as honey. He paced faster, until he was beside her. His eyes narrowed against the whipping wind that had suddenly started.  
"How long until we rest?" Nightcloud blinked at him, as if this hadn't crossed her mind.  
"There will be a barn somewhere nearby. I saw it during the Great Journey."  
A stab of grief struck Breezepelt's heart as his mother made a reference to the Clans. He shuddered. She noticed this, and nuzzled his neck comfortingly.  
"Ignore that part," the black rogue whispered. "Just focus on the barn."  
She drew back. "Let's run there."  
They ran across the marshy land, where not even a single tree marked the land. Here and there, they saw a Thunderpath or two, but few monsters were encountered. It was so deserted that Breezepelt began to wonder if he was in another world. He had never seen a place without life. Except for the mountains, but one only had to look hard enough to find life there.  
Breezepelt began to lag behind his mother, his breath coming in short gasps. Nightcloud looked back to see her son slowing down into a schlumping walk. His eyes stared out blankly at her.  
Nightcloud stopped and returned to him, but to her shock, he fell before her, squishing mud underneath his stomach. Nightcloud shoved him roughly.  
"Get up Breezepelt."  
"I don't want to."  
"I'm telling you to do so."  
"I'm tired. I can't make it." He closed his eyes slowly. "Just let me sleep."  
"In this rain!" she scoffed. "Get up now, or you'll catch greencough."  
"But I'm tired."  
"I don't care!" Nightcloud spat at him. He stiffened. She rarely spoke to him like that. The tom flinched as she brought her face close to his.  
"Get up," she hissed, "get up now!"  
Breezepelt desperately wanted to defy her. He wanted to spit at her like he used to and turn away. He wanted to nestle deeper into the mud and sleep.  
_But you cannot do that,_ a voice told him. It sounded like Onestar. He pictured the Clan leader sneering down at him, picking at him, _mocking_ him. _If you do, you will die. And death means that you are weak. Are you weak Breezepelt?  
Never!  
Then why did you give up so easily?_ A purr rumbled in his ear. It soon turned into a snarl. He could hear Eagleheart taunting him.  
_Weak whelp! It's been only four days and already you want to give up?  
Do it,_ sneered Crouchpaw. _Nobody is stopping you. You should have thought things through before messing with WindClan! Now you're starving to death and on the brink of death!_  
"Breezepelt," Nightcloud hissed again. "Why are you ignoring me? Get up!"  
He could hear his Clanmates jeering at him.  
_Yes, get up traitor!  
Or stay down there, it'll do everyone good.  
Leave your mother to die alone like she deserves.  
Pity she doesn't abandon you so you can die alone too.  
I hope you end up in the Dark Forest._  
"Breezepelt."  
_Traitor._  
"...Breezepelt?"  
_Traitor!_  
"Breezepelt!"  
_Traitor. Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!  
I AM NOT A TRAITOR!_  
With a burst of indignation, the warrior forced himself onto his paws, ignoring every muscle that told him to stop, every voice that ordered him to lie down again. He couldn't give up. He couldn't abandon his mother. He remembered his promise to Onestar. That he would regret banishing Breezepelt. And he will.  
Nightcloud sighed in relief as he got up and shook his fur. Her tongue rasped over the ear that Eagleheart had torn.  
"Thank StarClan! I thought you were dying."  
Breezepelt shook her off. He regarded her coldly; even the fury was still burning in his chest.  
"Where is the barn?" he demanded. His mother gave him a strange look, and nodded at the distance. There was a smudge on the horizon.  
"We're almost there. Should we walk?"  
"No, let's run."  
**《《《****¤¤》》》**  
It was quiet in the barn, not like how Breezepelt remembered it. He remembered there being three dogs attacking the barn when he came here, with his siblings Hollypaw and Lionpaw. Back then, he had been blissfully ignorant of his relations to him. Now he was painfully aware.  
"Be careful," he hissed to Nightcloud, shaking his fur before creeping inside. "There were dogs here."  
"Dogs?" There was fear in her mew.  
"Yes, dogs. Three of them to be exact. I don't know if they're still alive-they might be. So we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."  
He didn't want to lose fur on his tail _again_. It had taken _two moons_ to grow it back, and the apprentice spent that time calling him Furlesstailpaw.  
Nightcloud flashed him an annoyed look.  
"You think I'm mousebrained?" she asked irritably. "I've seen more dogs than you've seen rabbits!"  
Her voice echoed in the barn. Breezepelt hissed for her to be quiet.  
"Well, have you ever seen three dogs coming at you at once? It's not fun at all!"  
"Don't talk back to me! Now, since you know so much about this barn, and since you're suddenly all perky again, you can go hunt instead!" She shoved past him, unbalancing the black tom. He staggered to one side and glared at her. How he wanted to bite into her, just to show her whose boss! But he still felt submissive to her. It hadn't shaken off. He still wasn't himself.  
"Fine!' He turned and stalked off to hunt. But he was still wary of the thought of leaving his mother behind to fend for herself, or the thought of dogs still prowling around. But the ice in his belly hardened with anticipation at the thought of running into his apprenticehood enemies. Breezepelt desperately wanted to rip into that dog's hide.  
The faint squeaking noise of mice called out to him, beckoning him to come closer among the large haystacks that they dwelled in. He licked his lip hungrily at the thought of tasting mouse, and dropped into a hunter's crouch. He was grateful that his ex-Clan had the decency to teach the apprentices how to hunt more than rabbits.  
There was a gentle rustling to his right. The mouse scent was stronger, but it had a tinge of carrion with it. He hesitated. _Rats._ They were bigger than mice, but dangerous, even when eaten. They could carry diseases. But Breezepelt's stomach was empty, and he had to eat something. He was willing to even eat ShadowClan prey!  
He crept over a haystack, spotting the large shape of a rat. His eyes widened. It certainly was huge! It was as big as an apprentice! Its stark white fur stood ut against the dark background of the barn. It was a sitting duck. Easy target.  
Breezepelt rocked his haunches and pounced, landing on top of the rat. It squeaked in surprise and twisted to give him a bite on the shoulder. He jerked back and pressed it down against the floor, aiming to bit. He sank his teeth into its neck and tossed it into the air. It squirmed as he caught it, but once he slammed its body against the floor with a loud thud, there was a snap from its back and it went limp.  
Breezepelt whispered thanks, but it felt hollow. He had no cat to thank.  
As he began to drag the rat off, he stopped. There was a cold sensation that he was being watched intently.  
Observed.  
_Studied_.  
"Helloth?" he called, his voice muffled by the rat in his jaws. He received a soft sigh in response. It sent a shiver up his spine, and the sensation was gone. He blinked in surprise.  
_Was I imagining that, or was there someone really there?_ He hoped he had been imagining it. The outlaw took his catch away from the haystacks, following the scent of his mother. It seemed to wound around the whole barn, like his mother was hyped up on catmint and was staggering all over the place.  
_What is up with her?_  
He stopped when her scent led to a dead end, and dropped the rat.  
"Nightcloud! I don't have time for games!"  
No response. A prickle of fear went up his back. Did the dogs get her?  
"Nightcloud!" he shrieked.  
"What do you want?" her voice came from behind, causing him to jump in fear. He spluttered as she stood before him, an annoyed expression on her face.  
"I t-t-thought the dogs g-g-got you," he stammered. Nightcloud rolled her eyes.  
"Honestly, Breezepelt! I haven't sniffed or seen anything except for rats and mice. You're being way to jumpy for my liking."  
"I'm sorry, mother," he bowed his head in embarrassment. "I just got a scare while hunting."  
"A scare?" Curiosity made her eyes glow. "Tell me, what scared you?"  
"I-I felt a cold feeling, like I was being watched."  
"But there's no one here."  
"You think I don't know that?" Breezepelt snarled, irritated by her ignorance. "I just felt it!"  
His mother recoiled, but sprang back on him with her teeth bared. "You're being silly. Don't snarl at me!"  
He stopped himself reluctantly. _I can't lose myself around her. She's all I have._ But he had always wondered something, ever since they started the journey.  
"Where are we going?"  
"Don't change the subject!" Nightcloud snapped. "We're talking about _you_. It's your fault we are in this mess in the first place."  
Hot boiling rage threatened to tear Breezepelt apart.  
"_My_ fault? After how you raised me, you blame _me_?"  
"Enough!" Nightcloud hissed, flattening her ears against her skull. "I'll hear no more of it. If you want to know where we're going, then here you have it! We're going to the Twolegplace not far from here."  
"So now you want to change the subject?" Breezepelt sneered. Nightcloud gave him a glare.  
"Yes, why yes I do want to change the subject now. I don't have to argue with a hopeless tom who acts like a newborn kit caught in a nettlepatch!" She said this rather nastily, and took a bite out of the rat Breezepelt caught. He lifted a paw instinctively and unsheathed it. His mother's eyes glared up at him, challenging him.  
"Do it, Breezekit. Fighting's what got us in this mess in the first place."  
He faltered, stung by her words...her derogative name-calling. He sheathed his claws and placed his paw down. Nightcloud tore into the rat, hauling her body over it so he could not get a bite. She leered at him as she ate.  
"Oh, don't worry-you'll get your share. But it won't be much."  
He continued to glare at her as she kept stuffing her face. Eventually, Nightcloud finished her share of the rat and moved off of it. There was only a strip of meat available. The black she-cat licked a paw and drew it over her ears. She continued to stare at Breezepelt.  
"What are you waiting for? Eat. We're moving on in a day or so."  
She circled a spot before settling down, her back facing him.  
**《《《****¤¤》》》**  
It was the pain in his stiff joints that awakened him. Breezepelt felt wet underneath him, setting a chill in his body.  
_Did it rain last night?_ He shifted from beside Nightcloud, causing her to grunt. Instantly, he felt a slight _squish_. The sound of mud underpath. It did rain without him noticing!  
"Nightcloud," he whsipered, nudging his mother with one paw. "Nightcloud."  
"What?" she replied in a cold voice. He tensed; he could feel her mounting anger under it.  
_Better not cause another fight. At this rate we'll be clawing each other's throats out!_  
"Don't you feel wet?" he asked feebly. Nightcloud threw him an exasperated look.  
"I can't believe you're waking me up because the ground feels damp."  
"Damp!" Breezepelt scoffed in disbelief. That she-cat was practically soaked in water! "You're the one who has been sleeping directly under a hole in the barn!" He nodded up above her, where a gaping hole hovered.  
"Well unlike you, I'm a seasoned warrior." She turned away. "I can handle a drizzle." There was a hint of uncertainty in her mew. Suddenly, she sneezed. Breezepelt felt a rush of anger.  
"Fine." He stood up. "While you handle that little sneeze, I'll go hunt." The tom stalked off towards the haystacks, calling out over his shoulder, "And if your sneeze gets worst, don't come looking at me!"  
His mother merely hissed in response.  
_At least I feel at home,_ Breezepelt thought bitterly, slinking into the shadows. _Just add Crowfeather and Eagleheart in the mix and you got your regular, loving, dysfunctional family._  
His paws made little sound as he navigated these large piles of dried straw. The sounds of rats and mice were subtle now, with sslight rustling here and there. Breezepelt opened his jaws, but along with the scent of prey, he caught something else...  
Another cold sensation came over him. His spine began to tingle, his whiskers twitching uncontrollably. This never happened before.  
_What's happening?_  
He turned his head around wildly. He didn't like-no, he _hated_ what was hapening. It felt like death was looming over his head, crouching somewhere, ready to strike...  
"Who's there!" Breezepelt demanded, unsheathing his claws. The cold sensation faltered for a heartbeat, but came back in full force.  
_Snap._  
His ears went up at the noise that came from behind. Whipping around, he spotted a movement among the darkness. It had the figure of a cat!  
"Stop!" Breezepelt darted after the stranger, determined not to lose sight. It scaled up the wall of the barn very quickly, surprising Breezepelt. He had never seen many cats climb trees, let alone climb something like a wall! The cat leaped on the upper part of the barn and gave him a smug look before disappearing. Breezepelt spat in anger, sheathing his claws again. _No regular cat could climb the side of a wall without falling!_  
There was no way _he_ could pursue; he never climbed anything-unless you count the rocky terrain of the mountains and a bunch of haystacks. The warrior knew that if he even attempted to climb, he'd fall to his death.  
"I won't forget you!" he yowled, hoping the cat could hear him. "If I see you again, I'll claw your ears off!"


End file.
